Good Job, Kitty!

On Friday morning, while Aidan was at school and Brendan was busy coloring, I had to, er, um, use the facilities. The cat followed me into the bathroom as she always does. I finished, flushed and walked back into the kitchen to see Brendan.

He said, "Kitty go potty?"

I replied, "No, just mommy."

He proceeds, "Yeah, kitty!! Good job, kitty!!" I guess he didn't believe me.

Saturday morning he saw the cat and said, "Good job, kitty. Kitty go potty!"

He really thinks our cat uses the potty like Aidan does:) I guess it seems logical to an almost 2 year old!

Press Release from NDSS and NDSC

I have a feeling that we'll be hearing a lot more about Down syndrome in the news in the months ahead (which is one reason I'm excited about Sarah Palin). I've already seen some uninformed terminology in the media, so once I got this email from NDSS I thought I would pass it along so my family and friends can read it.

From the National Down Syndrome Society and the National Down Syndrome Congress:

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Contact: Sarah Schleider
212-763-4369/sschleider@ndss.org

Governor Sarah Palin of Alaska has been selected as John McCain’s choice for Vice Presidential nominee of the Republican Party. Governor Sarah Palin recently gave birth to her son who has Down syndrome. The Palins knew before their son’s birth that he would have Down syndrome.
Below are tips for the proper use of language for ‘Down syndrome’. The National Down Syndrome Society and the National Down Syndrome Congress encourage all media to use the below language:

Down vs. Down’s. NDSS and NDSC use the preferred spelling, Down syndrome, rather than Down’s syndrome. While Down syndrome is listed in many dictionaries with both popular spellings (with or without an apostrophe s), the preferred usage in the United States is Down syndrome. This is because an “apostrophe s” connotes ownership or possession. Down syndrome is named for the English physician John Langdon Down, who characterized the condition, but did not have it. The AP Stylebook recommends using “Down syndrome” as well.

People with Down syndrome should always be referred to as people first. Instead of “a Down syndrome child,” it should be “a child with Down syndrome.” Also avoid “Down’s child” and describing the condition as “Down’s,” as in, “He has Down’s.”

Down syndrome is a condition or a syndrome, not a disease.
People “have” Down syndrome, they do not “suffer from” it and are not “afflicted by” it.
It is clinically acceptable to say “mental retardation,” but you may want to use the more socially acceptable “cognitive disability” or “cognitive impairment.”

Svan Chair

Aidan is just a touch more flexible than the average Joe:) Okay, that's putting it mildly. We have been wanting to have Aidan eat at the table with us for well over a year now, but when we put him in a booster seat on one of our kitchen chairs, he inevitably finds a way to put his feet on the table and tip the chair over backwards, which is enough to give mommy a heart attack! We think he really needs a place to rest his feet. He never tries to get his feet up in the high chair where he has a great foot rest. Well, we finally purchased an AMAZING new chair called the Svan.

We tried Aidan in the Svan today, and he loves it! So do we, because he can't tip it over. It was pricey, but it's worth it. It is fully adjustable, can't tip, has an awesome foot rest, and a seatbelt so he can't get out.

A Nod to Sarah Palin from Someone Who Will Never Vote For Her

I am not a very good writer, but what I love about this world is that I can always find someone who expresses exactly what I want to say.

Here is what Harold Pollack had to say on huffingtonpost.com ...

I want to offer a nod across the aisle, one person to another touched by the disability issue. During her pregnancy, she learned that the developing infant she carried would be born with Down Syndrome. She chose to continue her pregnancy, and is now caring for her child.......

....Some women will surely vote Republican because Palin is on the ticket. This would only empower a President McCain to appoint "Constitutionalist" Supreme Court justices promised in the Republican platform who would vote to erode or bluntly overturn women's reproductive rights. I encourage any politically moderate feminist to read the 2008 Republican platform on every matter related to reproductive choice.....

Governor Palin is also mistaken in her support for broader Republican social policies that make it harder for millions of Americans living with physical and cognitive disabilities to get the healthcare and social services they need. If you ask people living with disabilities and their families what they need from government, many will say that they need things Democrats would provide and Republicans would not. They need adequate Medicaid funding. They really need universal health care. And they really need protections for individuals with preexisting conditions. People with Down Syndrome are often eligible for disability programs. Many others with cognitive disabilities are not. Oddly enough, people with cognitive disabilities need a strong Social Security and Medicare program that could free them from the indignities and stupidities of means-tested programs.

Then there are the schools. Many people with disabilities need special education and health services in schools. Democrats have fought for these things. Republicans typically oppose them. Less tangibly, persons with disabilities need an ethic of common provision in this country that is the antithesis of what conservatives and libertarians euphemistically call an ownership society.
All this is for another day. A tough election should not blind us to our common humanity. Anyone who walks the walk in the service of her personal beliefs deserves my friendship. So congratulations, Governor. You don't come close to earning my vote, but you are welcome in my home, any time.

Text from Obama's speech....

You can read the text RIGHT HERE ....It's beautiful....

Sarah Palin

John McCain has chosen Sarah Palin to be his running mate! While I'm not a huge fan of McCain, I think he made an awesome choice! I also don't agree with Sarah Palin on many issues, but I know there is one issue near and dear to our hearts that unites us: she has a son with Down syndrome. I read this on NBC new:

Palin gave birth to their fifth child, Trig, last April. The baby boy has Down syndrome, a genetic abnormality that impedes a child's intellectual and physical development.
"When we first heard, it was kind of confusing," Palin said, according to an account in the Anchorage Daily News. She called the news "very, very challenging."
But she added in a note, imagining what God would say to her family, "Children are the most precious and promising ingredient in this mixed-up world you live in down there on Earth. Trig is no different, except he has one extra chromosome."

Looking forward to the Republican National Convention next week!!

Happy Birthday, Scotte!!!

Happy 39th Birthday to my amazing husband!! I can't believe that I am older now than you were when we met!!:) I am so lucky to get to spend my life with you, and the boys are lucky to have such a wonderful father. I don't know if I ever told you this, but while I have always loved and adored you, after Aidan was born I knew that I was so lucky to have you, and that I wouldn't want to be on this journey with anyone else. Happy Birthday!!

Obama

I don't want to talk too much politics on here. I know you're all here to read about the kids. But I can't help myself just a little bit since I really LOVE politics. Back in 2000, when Bush was first elected, I actually thought about leaving the country (seriously, it sounds lame, but I was really bummed). I was very afraid about where our country was heading. Maybe, though, it was all meant to be just to set the stage for Obama. When I first heard him speak back in 2004, like many Americans, I thought he was a man destined for greatness. I found his speech last night to be so inspiring that it brought me to tears. I really feel like he is a man capable of making the changes this country needs. So, enough about politics, but LISTEN to him talk and decide for yourself. I really like THIS review.

The Best Feeling in the World

One of my favorite things about Aidan is the way he will still give us tons of hugs and cuddles. He wakes up fairly early each morning, around 6:30am, but at least he is willing to come and lay in bed with me/us for 20 mins and cuddle. Until about 6 months ago, he would often fall back to sleep next to me in bed and I would get to stay there until 8am. I love my little cuddlebug!

Brendan, on the other hand, has never been one for laying in bed. Once he's awake he's up for the day. There is too much to do to spend 20 more minutes laying in bed. Lucky for me, he sleeps until 7:30 or 8 every morning. I have never in his life had him fall asleep next to me in a bed. Well, today he is feeling a touch under the weather and running a slight fever. He fell asleep for his nap but woke up after 45 minutes crying really hard. I could not get him to go back to sleep in his crib, so I brought him downstairs and hoped that perhaps he might be willing to lay on the couch with me and have a rest Within a few minutes he actually fell asleep next to me! What a beautiful day to get to cuddle and hug both of my little boys like that! I haven't even seen Brendan sleep before, except for in his car seat, because he wakes up so easily. He looked so gorgeous laying there with those precious rosy cheeks.

I love my boys!!

On another note, Scotte went back to work today and it seems that the kidney stone has passed. We missed him a lot today because he has been off work and home with us since August 18 (vacation and then with the kidney stone). The kids have been asking for him all day, and I feel a little lonely myself.

Aidan is a Superstar!!

We recently found out that Aidan will be featured in the next catalog for the company (Prentke Romich Company) that makes his communication device! We are really happy for Aidan, mostly because this is a product that has benefited our family and Aidan immensely. I would recommend this product with rave reviews to any family who has a child struggling with communication. Here is the photo and article for the catalog...Profile of Success
Aidan Elliott

Down syndrome makes it difficult for the playful, three-year-old Aidan to articulate all the things he wants to say. Now, using PRC’s SpringBoard™ Lite, he “talks” all the time to his preschool teachers, classmates, and friends and family members.

Aidan’s mother Jennifer calls it “Aidan’s lucky day” when his SLP convinced the family “that having a device with a voice output would give Aidan independence in communicating with many people, and that it might increase his speech and language skills.”

In under three months, Aidan progressed from the 8-location to the 36-location display. He now uses his device to request toys, foods, places to go, songs to sing, family members to play with, and many other things, according to his mom. “It has been an amazing transformation for us and our family, and I never would have believed all the research until I witnessed it myself.”

Using his SpringBoard Lite is also spurring Aidan to be more vocal, Jennifer says. “All of the first words he spoke were a result of him repeating what he was hearing on his device. He has always been such a quiet kid, and we love to hear him talking!”

Hillary

Hillary rocked it at the DNC last night. You can find the link to her speech HERE. I miss Hillary, but I love Barack, too.

And, don't you love this: No way, No how, No McCain!!

Aidan is doing so well at school...

Aidan's teacher says that he is doing so well at school! Last year he wouldn't go potty there, and almost always refused to eat a snack. Today he went potty for the teacher (yesterday he held it until he got home!), he ate pretzels with the class, and he was doing some hand motions to songs (he does that all the time at home but he's so shy he has rarely done it at school). He was a bit clingy when I dropped him off today, but I think he's doing amazing! Yeah for Aidan!!! This should be a fun year to see how Aidan changes...

Neil Diamond

I went to see Neil Diamond in concert Monday night with my mom, dad and sister. It was an almost-Matthews family reunion. Joey, you should have come!! I love Neil Diamond, and it was a lovely concert, but he was obviously sick with a cold or something. I would have thought that perhaps he is getting too far past his prime to be performing anymore, but my parents just saw him in Pittsburgh a few weeks ago and they said he was awesome then! He apparently was flawless that night and sang for at least 15-20 mins longer than he did here in Columbus. I still really enjoyed the concert. I hope I can see him sometime again when he is in good health. Here is a sample from the review in the Columbus Dispatch (Aaron Beck):

While a back-up singer did her part during You Don't Bring Me Flowers last night in Value City Arena, Neil Diamond sat at a white linen-draped table for two and sipped a glass of red wine.
He should have pounded four shots of honey and a pint of Robitussin and then climbed into a time machine and journeyed far away from the stage because this show should not have gone on.......Typically when a singer goes on with the show, despite an obvious ailment, the singer's acknowledgement of the distraction after the first song diffuses the distraction. Audience members then pull for the singer to power through every tune and they will wholeheartedly applaud with a raucous combination of sympathy and enthusiasm.
Diamond called himself out not once during the show, which was akin to pretending a house isn't on fire when all four walls are going down in flames around you.

First Day of School

Today was my sweet little baby's first day of school! I am so excited for him because he is going to learn and grow so much, but I am also very nervous about leaving him everyday and sad that my baby is so grown up. He did really well when I dropped him off this morning, and the teacher said that he didn't cry and he only signed for mama and dada a few times. There was an open house at school last night that we took him to, and I guess spending some time in the classroom with mommy and daddy might have helped him today.

Aidan's teacher's name is Miss Reitter, and she's the same teacher he had in the spring. I was much less sad leaving him in the spring; I kept telling myself everyday that is was only for a month. Now I know that it will be for the whole school year, and we will be doing this for MANY years to come. Scotte was still home from work sick today, so after I dropped Aidan off at school it was Scotte, me and Brendan. We all felt like we were missing part of our family! Brendan asked for Aidan all morning long.

Here is Aidan cuddling with Daddy this morning while we showed him the new pages we put on his communication device. We added photos of the teacher, aide, SLP, OT, and we're going to put photos of friends and the PT. We also put his daily schedule on there so he'll know what comes next at school.

We have a worn-out looking Elmo backpack that Aidan likes and he used it for his month of school last year. I searched all over for a Sesame Street backpack for this year and couldn't find one in a store, so I bought him a Thomas one. Well, he still wanted the Elmo backpack. I'm a bit embarrassed sending him to school with a worn out backpack (it's getting a hole in it, and even though it has been washed it looks pretty dirty in a few spots) so I found one online that I'm going to order that has Elmo, Cookie Monster and Big Bird on it.

Aidan sat right down for circle time when I dropped him off, and then I left. He didn't even look back for me!There is another little boy in Aidan's class with Down syndrome named Ryan. His family just moved here a few weeks ago. You can see him, his mom and brothers in the background. I hope he and Aidan get along because they will be seeing a lot of each other!

McDonald's Farm

Brendan and Aidan thought it was amazing to get to pet actual live farm animals at McDonald's , oops, I mean Malabar Farm. Brendan is still calling it McDonald's Farm. Aidan fell in love with the cutest little goat I have ever seen, while Brendan was fascinated with the horses (but afraid to touch them because of their size - he did pet a little pony).

Aidan actually got in a little PT while we were there by chasing around a cute little kitten. He and Brendan chased that cat for a good 20 mins., then the cat came and ate lunch with us. The poor thing was starving. We fed it green beans, cheese and cheez its, and the fact that it ate those things seems like a bad sign to me. Maybe the little thing has a tapeworm or something.

Kidney Stones

We spent last night at the ER because my poor husband has kidney stones:( He seems to be in a lot of pain at times. I was able to get my sister to come over and watch my kids, even though her husband is out of town so she had to bring her two little ones as well. That means 4 kids under the age of 4, 2 of whom had to sleep in not-so-familiar beds. I know Brendan woke up once at about 1am (which is not characteristic of him) and when we got home at 2:45 both of her kids were awake. At that point she decided to take them home to their own beds. Thanks, Kelly, I know how inconvenient it was to come over and I owe you big! I'm sure you feel pretty much like I do this morning, so try to get a nap when the kids sleep!

We left for the ER last night at 9pm, and they were really fast; we were out of there by midnight. We then went to an all night pharmacy to fill the medications that were prescribed and it took over 1-1/2 hours to get them filled! Pharmacists and pharmacy techs of the world, you know I love you dearly, but that was pretty crazy to deal with in the middle of the night. To be fair, the poor guy was working all alone at the only all-night pharmacy for miles, but I guarantee that most of us were coming from ER's and were tired and cranky. Well, we were back in bed by 3am.

Hopefully Scotte will recover from this quickly. I am going to try to force him to rest for the next few days. Considering we just had a week of vacation, he is hoping to not have to take off too many days of work!

Swimming at Mohican

The kids LOVED the kiddie pool at Mohican! We thought it was great because it was completely fenced in, so we could let down our guard a little bit. We also took them in the lovely, heated indoor pool, but it was impossible to take photos of the kids in the big pool when there was only 1 adult per child. We got a lot of them in the kiddie pool, however!

The Columbus Zoo

We took the kids to the zoo on Monday after they woke up from their naps. I told them ahead of time that we were going to see elephants, rhinoceroses, tigers, and manatees (Brendan's favorites, although he was highly disappointed that there were no hippos at the zoo) as well as flamingos (Aidan likes flamingos). Brendan did not forget one animal on the list. As soon as we got to the zoo he started asking for the animals, one after the next. I think he was stunned by the size of the elephants, and at first he thought the manatees were also elephants (we have since convinced him otherwise). Aidan really liked the tigers. Now it is Friday, 4 days since our zoo adventure, and Brendan still lists all of the animals we saw if you ask him about the zoo.

In the safari wagon, ready for adventure....

Mesmerized by the size of the elephants....

Admiring the tiger sculpture....

Confusing manatees for elephants...

Sherrod Brown

When we were at Mohican staying at the lodge we kept running into our Senator, Sherrod Brown , and his wife Connie. What a lovely man! I'm embarrassed that I didn't recognize him when we first saw them, but they were nice enough to strike up a conversation with us the first evening we were there. The next morning we happened to sit right next to them at breakfast and the kids ruined their peace and quiet:) Well, I'm happy we ran into him and not Voinovich.

Vacation!!

Scotte is on vacation this week, so we have been trying to do fun things with the kids everyday. On Monday we went to the Columbus Zoo and on Tuesday we drove to Mohican and stayed at the Lodge for a couple of nights. We took the kids to Malabar Farm, spent a lot of time swimming and we went shopping at the outlet mall. Mohican was gorgeous and relaxing; it would be very romantic without kids:) The kids loved the farm, which Brendan keeps calling MacDonald's Farm. We had a great time, and I'll post pictures of everything tomorrow when I have time to sort through them. We only encountered one problem on our trip: sleeping in the same room together. This was by far our worst hotel experience in the sleep department, which is unfortunate because it was the nicest hotel we've ever all stayed in together. Brendan discovered how easy it is to simply climb out of the travel crib! The kids go to bed at 8pm, but we kept them up a little late the first night hoping they would be so tired they would just crash. We turned off the lights at 9pm. Usually we turn off the lights until the kids fall asleep, then we turn on a lamp and can read or whatever we want to do until we are tired. This time Brendan climbed out of the crib over and over again and wanted to cuddle with mommy. That would have been fine if he would have just laid in bed with me until he fell asleep, at which point I could have put him in his crib. He didn't want to lay down, he just wanted to sit in the chair with me. As soon as we would sit he would ask to play with toys or have a drink of milk. Needless to say, he finally fell asleep after 11PM!! Scotte and I were so worn out, and poor Aidan kept crying through the whole thing, he was so upset by Brendan's crying. The next night we decided it might be better if I wasn't there, so I told the kids I was going to the store and Daddy put them to bed. It was pretty much a repeat performance, but the kids were asleep by 9PM instead of 11. Brendan gave up after about 45 mins. of chaos. I was really worried when we got home tonight that there might be some sort of lingering bad behaviors when we put the kids to bed, but luckily Brendan and Aidan both went right to sleep without a peep. Overall, staying at the lodge was worth it. We probably need to switch Brendan to a bed soon, and we're really dreading it. I fear he will never nap again once he can freely get out of bed.

Tomorrow I have a meeting at Aidan's school to introduce his teacher, aide and SLP to his communication device. We will be taking Aidan with us so he can get reacquainted with his teacher and see his new classroom. I really hope he will successfully use his device at school! Aidan starts school on Tuesday.

Stay tuned for lots of photos to come!

My Independent Boys

All summer long I have been taking the kids to the playground at least every other day. Sometimes it's difficult when I'm alone because they run in opposite directions, and Aidan has needed a lot of help navigating the slide. Aidan is doing so well now at our particular playground because there are stairs up to the slide instead of a ladder. This past week I was actually alone at the playground with them on a couple of days. Instead of making them take turns on the slide so I could keep them safe, I decided to try letting them both out of the wagon at the same time. They did so awesome! They both listened to me the whole time! I watched them go up the stairs, then I would wait at the bottom of the slide for them to come down. It is so nice to finally be at this point where they are getting to be so independent!!

Food Adventures

A few days ago we took the kids out to dinner at El Vaquero, our favorite Mexican restaurant. (In fact, that's where Scotte and I went for dinner on our second date.) Aidan was a brave little boy and tried chips and salsa for the first time. After one bite that's all he wanted to eat for dinner! He has always been very picky about food. He is a great eater, but he is often hesitant to try something new. Lately, however, he has been a brave little boy and eating lots of new things. We took some photos with Scotte's phone. It did not occur to me to take our camera out to dinner with us! Brendan loved the chips, too, but Brendan likes almost everything. Aidan's most recent food adventure was at the Dougherty Lake Party on Saturday. Scotte was eating a baked potato and Aidan decided he liked the potato skins...Don't worry, Scotte cut some up for Aidan to eat after he kept lunging at the plate! He is also eating radishes lately, which mommy also loves.

Grammy and Pap Pap

My parents stayed with my sister on Saturday night, so all of the kids got to play with them again on Sunday. We were brave and went out to breakfast at Scramblers. It was just Grammy, PapPap, Aunt Kelly, Me, Glenn Joseph, Jacob, Aidan and Brendan. The food was great and the kids were behaved enough that we might be willing to do it again in the future. It's a necessity, though, that we have at least one adult per child in a restaurant! That's my rule. Afterwards, we all came back to my house and let the kids play on the porch and in the backyard. Brendan adores Glenn Joe and tried to follow him around the whole time...

Aidan just wanted to play with Grammy and smother her with kisses...

Jacob looked so cute sitting in the adirondack chair just like mommy....

And Pap Pap kept the kids happy in the sand box...

After we played outside, Pap Pap kept Aidan, Jacob and Brendan while Grammy, Glenn Joe, my sister and I went shopping at Target. Thanks, Dad, for even changing Brendan's poopy diaper. The kids loved getting to play with you, and we loved shopping without 4 kids.

Dougherty Lake Party

Yesterday we went to my Uncle Joe and Aunt Cindy's house for the annual Dougherty Lake Party. They have a lovely home and a beautiful backyard. The kids had so much fun running around the yard, jumping on the trampoline, playing at the playground, drinking juice boxes, and playing with their cousins and Grammy and Pap Pap. We had a great time visiting with my family, even though we barely got to talk to anyone because we were so busy chasing the kids around. Aidan found a new best friend in my cousin, Bridget. You can always tell if he likes someone if he tries to lick their hair. It was really nice of Bridget to let him!The kids were exhausted when we left the party! All of the kids fell asleep in the car except Brendan. Go figure! He was up until 10pm, which I think is the latest he has ever gone to bed.

Porta Not-So-Kleen

Last night we went to the Dream Green 5K Race. We didn't run but we hung out with the kids and let them enjoy some of the festivities. Back in the days before kids I would have run in the darn thing! We were having a great time with our tootsie pops and bouncy tents when Aidan had to use the potty. The dreaded moment had arrived when we had to take Aidan to a porta-potty for the first time. I made Scotte do it. Aidan cried when Scotte took him in, but luckily he calmed down and was able to go. My big fear was that he would be freaked out, not go, and end up having an accident. When Aidan was done, Scotte picked him up and was holding him while trying to pull up his shorts at the same time. He didn't want to set Aidan down because he didn't want Aidan to touch anything. Aidan must have been in the perfect position because his shorts fell off and landed right in the potty! Well, there they remain because neither of us wanted to fish them out! We were going to take a photo, but by the time we thought of it someone else was already in there and the line was huge. Luckily, we had an extra pair of shorts for Aidan, so he didn't have to go naked. Unfortunately, the pair of shorts that remained in the porta-potty was one of his nicest pairs.